Senate Floor

Secretary, please call the roll.

[Roll Call]

A quorum is present Senators, if we can kindly return to our seats, Please rise. And where the guests beyond the railing, please rise.

This morning will be led in prayer by sister Michelle Gorman. After please plea after which, please remain standing for the Pledge of Allegiance.

We gather again in God's presence. As we rejoice in the recent views of Earth from the moon and as we celebrated the fifty sixth year of Earth Day yesterday,

let us remember the significance of our place in the universe as we pray a poem by Mercy Sister Renee Yan called All Creation. Gracious and loving God, help us to remember that all creation kneels, a single being, to praise you.

From its immense heart, creation sings myriad songs at once, morning and even song, praise and dirge, alas and alleluia intermingled. It sings even over its own scars where the chasms cry out for balm.

It sings both the remembrance and the hope of blessing. It sings the endurance of faith and the confidence of love. In roar and silence, darkness and light, creation kneels a single being to praise you, oh God. Amen.

Please join me in the pledge of allegiance. I pledge.

Moving on to privileges of the floor. On behalf of Senator Hurtado. K. We're gonna skip over that one for now. And now turn to Senator Laird, who has some guests he'd like to introduce to us.

Thank you, Madam President. I rise today to welcome representatives of the YMCA organization who are in the gallery to celebrate an extraordinary milestone. This is their 175th anniversary.

Since its beginnings in The United States in 1851, the YMCA has been a constant force for good, adapting to meet the evolving needs of our communities while staying grounded in a simple but powerful mission, to build healthy spirit, mind, and body for all.

Over the decades, the YMCA has helped shape American life in meaningful ways, pioneering night schools and English language programs, inventing the game of basketball, and launching youth civic engagement,

in this state through youth and government in particular. Here in California, the YMCA has served communities for more than a hundred and seventy years, as support for hundreds of communities across the state,

providing childcare and after school programs for working families, swim lessons, water safety, and a whole host of other programs that meet critical needs in our state. Two YMCA leaders from my district are here.

I know they've mobilized their YMCAs many times to provide during times of crisis. That's Amy Grimes and John Ehrbar. Thank you for all you do.

It is more than just a place. It is a trusted partner, community anchor, and for many, a second home. And on a personal note, for my father, it was the second home.

It was the thing that helped him move ahead, be the one person in his family to get a college degree, to grow in ways that I I think we all are so grateful for. For me, I was in Indian Guides.

I was in High Y. I was a Senator in youth and government. I went through the Y program and it made a fundamental difference. So today, I'm happy to congratulate the YMCA on one hundred and seventy five years of service.

I'd like to thank the thousands of staff and volunteers, and I ask that you join me in giving a a warm Senate round of applause to the YMCA representatives that are up in the gallery right now.

Well, happy 170 birthday to all the YMCA's. Thank you for joining us today. Messages from the governor will be deemed read. Messages from the assembly will be deemed read. Reports of committee will be deemed read and amendments adopted.

Moving on to motions, resolutions, and notices. Any Member wish to be recognized under this? Seeing no mics up, going into consideration of the daily file. Under second reading file, we have items one through 60. Secretary, please read.

Senate Bill 1361 with amendments, 903 with amendments, 1092 with amendments, 1064 with amendments, 1423 with amendments, 1104 with amendments, 894 with amendments.

Second reading will be deemed read. Moving on to governor's appointments, we have item 60 we do not have governor's appointments.

We're moving into governor's appointments for item 64, 65, and 66 by the honorable Senator Grove. Whenever you're ready, Senator.

Thank you, Madam President. Colleagues file item 64 is the confirmation of former judge Frank Darnell junior for the appointment of the alcohol alcoholic beverage control appeals board.

Judge Demreaux joined the board late August and previously served as the governor's appointment on the Delta Stewardship Council, and he was a US District Court Judge for the Eastern District Of California from 1997 to 2011.

He was approved by the rules committee on a five o vote on April 8. Respectfully ask for your Aye vote.

I see no mics up for this appointment. Secretary, please call the roll.

[Roll Call]

Senator Groves moves the call. Senator, item 65.

Thank you, Madam President. Today, colleagues file item 65 as a confirmation of Michelle Edgar for the appointment of state bar state board of barber barbering and cosmetology.

Miss Edgar is a founder of an executive director of Music Unites, and also the founder and chief executive officer of Edgar Talent Agency. She is serving in the blue in one of the board's positions for a public member.

She was approved on the by the rules committee on April 8, a five o vote. Respectfully ask for your Aye vote.

Thank you, Senator. Secretary, please call the roll.

[Roll Call]

Senator Grove moves the call. Senator, file item 66.

Thank you, Madam President. Colleagues to file item 66 is a confirmation of David Galavese for appointment to the State Park and Recreation Commission.

He's the associate vice president of community and local government partnerships in the University of at the University of Southern California, where he served since 2003.

Prior to USC, he served on the staff here at the Senate and the legislative director, with former Senator Gil Sadio. He was approved by the rules committee on April 8. I respectfully ask for an Aye vote.

Seeing no mics up, secretary, please call the roll.

[Roll Call]

Senator Grove moves the call. Moving into Senate third reading, we have five items for today. We're gonna start off with file item 89. Senator Laird is prepared. Secretary, please read.

Senate joint Resolution 12 by Senator Laird relative to offshore drilling.

Senator Laird.

Thank you very much, Madam p\President. Senate joint Resolution 12 is a measure opposing the Federal Government's proposal, for the eleventh national ocean outer continental shelf oil and gas leaking leasing program.

It calls for the removal of California from the proposed pan plan, stronger environmental review, and opportunity for public engagement. This resolution has almost 50 co authors and includes co authors from both parties.

Under the plan proposed by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management or BOEM, 34 permits would be issued for offshore lease sales across 1,270,000,000 acres of federal waters, including six potential new lease areas off of California.

California has witnessed the catastrophic impacts that occur when oil facilities fail, whether it was in 2015 in Santa Barbara or 1969 with the major oil spill that happened then.

The new areas have not seen any newly executed offshore oil and gas leases since the Reagan administration due to long stern standing efforts by the federal and the state local leaders to protect our coasts.

The development of offshore oil operations would increase fossil fuel emissions, acting against our efforts to do the exact opposite.

These proposals are allegedly in response to global fuel shortages created by the international conflict initiated by this administration. This should not be an excuse to exploit California's resources.

And even if they were linked, it would take a decade to bring this online and it wouldn't affect this situation in any way. In the 1980s, 26 cities and counties in California adopted ordinances and most of them by a vote of the people that

said that there shouldn't be onshore support facilities, zoning changes without a vote of the people, and that reserve the right of the people to protect the coast. Those ordinances are still on the books.

It is what is known in California as the blue wall. It passed when I was running for reelection in 1985 in this, for the Santa Cruz City Council.

It passed in Santa Cruz with over 80% of the vote. And, it was said at the time that if we just improved our fuel efficiency standards by one mile per gallon, we would obviate the need for any drilling off of any coast.

Well, we have done that many times over since then. So protect to protect marine environments and coastal communities from these disasters, to ensure the state's clean energy goals are met,

we must defend California's coast from efforts to expand, offshore oil drilling. I respectfully ask for an Aye vote.

Senator Grove, you're recognized.

Thank you, Madam President. With all due respect to my good colleague, the former secretary of natural resource, my Senate colleague, and my friend, I rise in opposition of SJR 12.

Colleagues, we wouldn't be in this situation if you had not decimated the entire oil industry in this state. We did make a little bit of headway and at least changed the conversation

last year with thousand drilling permits being issued for Kern County, but it takes a while to get things in process, get those permits moving.

But over the last decade, the year before we got those permits, 23 permits were issued. And before that, very little were issued even below that number.

If you look what's happening in our state over the last decade, when I first got here, we were producing about 75% of the state's oil and gas, which means that it was produced here, it was put in a pipeline, sent to a refinery,

refined into fuel, and we were able to produce our own produce our own energy, not relying on foreign countries that are hostile to us.

The Trump administration is doing everything possible within its power to execute immediately the ability to bring oil onto the shore of California so that we can continue to have energy security here in The United States Of America.

He's not just doing it in California, he's doing it in other states as well. So, I oppose SJR.

If we don't start getting, in state production and offshore immediate off our coastline production started, then we are going to, end up with a shortage.

We're already seeing numbers go down as low as ten days of jet fuel that's available in this state. Europe is already losing jet fuel if Tunza has canceled flights.

Many airlines are delaying flights and canceling flights over in Europe because they're far ahead of us in the destruction that they did with their industry lying on foreign countries to provide them with the fuel that they use to transport us,

and the fuel we use every day to take our families, and have our families go back and forth to work and provide for our communities. And, so I oppose this resolution.

I applaud the president of The United States for making sure that we have oil that's domestically produced where we don't have to rely on foreign countries that are hostile to us, and we can control our own destiny. Respectfully ask for a no vote.

Senator Valadares.

Thank you, Madam President. I also, wanna thank, I rise in opposition to this resolution and I want to thank the Senator from Bakersfield for her steadfast voice on this.

You know, I'm not rising in opposition because I don't care about our environment, but because I care about reality. And California is heading towards a serious supply crunch.

Just before session this morning, our problem solvers caucus sent a letter to the California Energy Commission asking, what is our supply? Do we have nine days? You know, what is our supply? We've lost refinery capacity.

We import the majority of our oil and now we're being asked to symbolically oppose one of the few remaining in state sources of energy without offering a single serious plan to replace it. And that's not leadership, that's denial.

We can pass all the resolutions we want. We can make statements. We can feel good about where we're landing politically. But none of that is lowering the gas prices for a single mom from my district driving 60 miles to work.

None of that keeps our supply stable when global markets are tightening. We've chosen to be energy dependent on the global market. And none of that keeps our supply stable, again, when global markets tighten.

And none of it protects us from the very real risk of shortages that we could possibly be seeing in the next month. Here's the truth.

If we don't produce energy here in California, we will import it from places with weaker environmental standards, with higher emissions, and that's not climate leadership.

That's outsourcing responsibility. We talk a lot about equity in this building, but what's equitable about policies that drive up costs for working families while making us more dependent on foreign supply?

If we're serious about a transition, then let's be serious. Let's build the infrastructure. We've tried the scarcity model.

It's not working. Respectfully urge a no vote.

Senator Richardson.

Thank you, Madam President. In the spirit of why we're here, I think it's important that we speak to the actual resolution.

The resolution states that this resolution declares the legislature strong and unequivocal opposition to the proposed leasing of federal lands of offshore California for oil and gas development.

This isn't talking about gas and oil development throughout the state of California. Is specifically to offshore drilling.

Also in the analysis, it includes very specific items of what this resolution is intended to do, such as request the BOEM to hold a public hearing on the proposed leasing plan in the state of California.

With that, I respectfully ask for us to stick to the item on the agenda and for everyone to vote Aye on SGR 12.

Senator Blakespear your recognized.

Thank you, Madam President. I appreciate the good Senator from San Pedro bringing up the reality of what this resolution is actually doing.

And I wanna set the record straight a little bit on the reality that offshore oil drilling in California will not affect the price of gas in California because this we have a fully integrated market when it comes to gas.

So the price is set at because of international amounts and distribution and things that are beyond the issue of whether we are actually drilling offshore in California or other places in California.

And so recognizing that drilling offshore off our shore in California has only negative and no positive for California residents.

And I applaud the author for bringing this forward and think it's really important that we stand for this. So I urge approval for SJR 12. Thank you.

Senator Seyarto.

Thank you very much. I just wanted to clarify that my, my, colleague's comments were very relevant, to this issue. If we did not shut down and attack our oil industry in California and put it in the position it is in,

we would not need offshore oil to stabilize oil throughout The United States as well. We do have a problem. We use this energy. We use this type of energy.

We took it offline faster than we can than our usage dropped. And and so now we're in a position where we have to make it up somewhere, and we shouldn't be making it up from getting it from foreign countries.

California is not a nation. California is part of The United States. And when The United States is in trouble, California needs to respond as well, and do their part.

And unfortunately, because and a lot of it has to do with our own policies over the last ten to fifteen years, We have put ourselves in this position.

This is one of the consequences of policies that shut down oil capacity in California to both drill for and also refine, And now we're paying the price.

And so I urge a no vote on SDR 12 because voting yes for SDR 12 is basically sending the message that, we support the policies that put us in the pur here in the first place, which was generated by us. So, I urge a no vote.

Senator Cabaldon.

Thank you, madam president. Just to put a number on what Senator the Senator from Encinitas, said. Since since the war, the unauthorized war in Iran began, price the price of gasoline in California has gone up by 25%.

The price of gas in Texas, the biggest, mainland, lower 48 producer in the entire country has gone up by 39%. That's 50% more of a percentage increase in the price of gas.

There is only one explanation for the crisis that Californians are facing in affordability and gas, and I say this as the representative of the refinery that just closed.

And that unauthorized illegal war that has shut down the entire global supply. The last thing that this resolution that the opening up offshore oil drilling will do in this country or in this state is reduce California oil prices.

It will simply make us a pawn of this larger global global market that is strangling Californians at the pump every day. If you're serious about wanting to get gas prices under control, there's only one answer, and it does not come from this floor.

It comes from shutting down the war that is stopping the flow of oil, internationally. Texas is suffering even more than us despite their their pro oil policies, their anti climate policies in California.

We're doing the right thing for climate, and we are also assuring that Californians can afford their gas. But we cannot, in California, stop the effects of president Trump's war in Iran.

Senator Laird, you may close.

Thank you very much, Madam President. It was inferred, in this debate, and I thank all my colleagues for putting these points forward because it makes what's at issue here really clear. It was inferred that we have done nothing to replace oil.

Not true. If you look at this body in 2011, setting a goal of 30% renewables in our electricity portfolio by 2020, we met that years early.

There were days in the last twelve months when a 100% of the electricity on the grid was provided from renewable sources. That is not nothing.

We are putting that in place, and we are working toward our goal of 2045 in a way that we are energy reliant locally and do not have to rely on outside fossil fuel, and that is at the heart of this debate.

The one other point to make is the initial proposal by the Federal Government gutted public participation. It scaled down dramatically traditional environmental review.

After public pressure, a portion of the public process was restored. And that is why this resolution is so vital. This resolution is that public pressure.

It is driving them to understand that what's going on in The Middle East would not be mitigated by anything that is happening here. It also shows that, that really, we don't need this, and it is environmental degradation for the coast.

And so with that, I respectfully ask for an Aye vote.

Thank you, Senator. Secretary, please call the roll.

[Roll Call]

Please call the absent members.

[Roll Call]

Ayes 26. Noes 8. The resolution passes. Senator Gonzalez, you have file item 83. She's ready to go.

Secretary, please read.

Senate Concurrent Resolution 118 by Senator Gonzales relative to Jeffrey Epstein files.

Senator. Thank you, and good morning Madam President and Members. I rise today during sexual assault awareness month to present Senate Concurrent Resolution 118, which urges a full and transparent release of unclassified files related to Jeffrey Epstein's investigation in order to

advance accountability and public trust. The reason I actually brought this forward is because I have a constituent who is named Annie Farmer. Both her and her sister were unfortunately and really horrifyingly sexually abused by Jillian Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein.

Today, she tells her story and she's urged and encouraged me to put forward this resolution. But her, along with a thousand young women and children were abused by Epstein and his associates dating back to the early 1990s, including, including her.

In order to provide justice, transparency, and accountability to survivors, Congress passed HR 4405, which required the US DOJ to publish all unclassified records, documents, and communications related to the investigation and prosecution of Jeffrey Epstein by 12/19/2025.

Unfortunately, the DOJ has only released about 50% or 3,500,000 of the 6,000,000 files and failed to appropriately redact survivors' names and photos further traumatizing them.

In fact, Annie constantly tells me that it was so infuriating to see that the government knew more about her body than she did. Every delay and every redaction made for political convenience, rather than the legitimate legal reason, is another denial of justice to real people with real injuries.

SCR 118 will voice California's commitment to justice and supporting the survivors across our country who have been failed by our justice system.

And also hopefully keeping, these very powerful titles, whether they were royals, current or former presidents, whomever they were, billionaires, keeping them accountable and make making sure that they see justice. I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Thank you, Senator. Seeing no mics up on this issue, secretary, please call the roll.

[Roll Call]

Please call the absent Members.

[Roll Call]

Ayes, 27. No. Zero. The resolution passes. Moving on to file item 115, Senator Caballero. She's ready to go. Secretary, please read.

Senate resolution 99 by Senator Caballero relative to California Agricultural Day.

Senator. Thank you very much, madam president. Today, I rise to present Senate Resolution 99, which declared Tuesday, April 21 as California Agriculture Day with the theme of California leads.

Hopefully, you all had a chance to go out to the AG Day before it started pouring rain, to have an opportunity to taste and see the bounty of California and to interact with people who live in rural California, who love the way of life,

who accept the risk of growing produce and working in the agricultural industry, and who really keep California at the forefront of agricultural production. We know that California is an AG powerhouse in The United States.

We contribute over $50 billion annually to The US economy and supply more than a third of the country's vegetables and two thirds of the country's fruits and nuts. California's AG sector not only feeds America, but it feeds the entire world.

We have been the nation's top agriculture producer for the last fifty years and are one of the largest AG exporters in The United States. We lead the nation in production of pistachios, grapes, strawberries, tomatoes, and broccoli. So if any of those appeal to you, they're grown here.

And our state produces nearly The entire US supply of almonds, artichokes, figs, and walnuts. We lead the nation in milk and cheese production, churning out over 18% of the milks the nation's milk supply.

And we lead the nation in organic agriculture, producing over 90% of the nation's organic walnuts, lemons, and celery. And so who does this?

They're they are farmers who work the land, who put up the resources to be able to grow, and and who keep the agricultural working landscape of over 40,000,000 acres in use for agricultural purposes, creating 1,500,000 jobs for California residents.

California agriculture leads the way, not just in food production, but in innovation and climate resilient AG practices as well. California has invested over 727,000,000 in climate Smart AG programs over the past decade, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 31,000,000 tons of CO2

and saving 1,600,000 acre feet of water. I also wanna recognize and acknowledge the incredible farmworker community that has made this production possible. Working hard at a hard task many times, in, difficult environmental conditions.

They have the it people tend to say that agro farm production or agricultural work is not skilled, but I'm here to tell you it is skilled.

Get out and spend a day in a field or in an orchard and find out how hard it is and the incredible dexterity of people that produce our agricultural abundance.

So in conclusion, since this is past, I wanna encourage you in the future to visit all of the exhibitions, tell people how important you think their work is because they continue to make it possible for us to eat, and I respectfully ask for your Aye vote on SR 99.

Thank you, Senator. Senator Grove, you're recognized.

Thank you, colleagues or thank you, miss Madam President, colleagues. I echo all my call my colleagues' comments that she just made on the the value of agricultural and in state food production, and we are the best.

We produce California compliant energy in the state of California better than any other place in the nation, and we produce California compliant food. The best tasting food that you could ever imagine.

People in the others when you go back out to visit other states, they often tell me when they find out I'm from the Central Valley in California, they often say things like, wow, you guys have the freshest fruit ever.

And, we we are totally blessed beyond because of that. As a Senator who represents the top three agri producing counties in the nation, I rise in support of SR 99, which recognizes the importance of agriculture in our state. California is known for more than its beaches and its movies.

It's also known as the largest ag state producing more than one third of the nation's vegetables and three quarters of the nation's fruit bringing over in bringing over $60 billion of economic impact annually.

We lead the nation in dairy products, grapes, almonds, and hundreds of other commodities that my colleague mentions, and Americans that they eat and use every single day.

Even as we feed and fuel the nation, we must realize that food grows where water flows. Unfortunately, an estimated 50,000 acres of farmland are lost each year in our golden state because we're threatening the nation's food supply without having water.

The Central Valley this year or next year, by the end of next year, we'll lose more farmland because we need an initial 2,500,000 acre feet of water in order to be able to sustain the farming production that we have now.

Farmers are constantly trying to get out of the Williamson Act so that they can, convert to solar fields, but I submit to you colleagues, as much as you like the solar energy industry, you cannot eat solar panels.

Because of SGMA alone, merely 1,000,000 acres of prime California agricultural land will be taken out of production and followed by 2040. And that's very devastating.

That affects the food we eat, where we get our food, the resupply of where that food will come from, from other countries, and it also affects the jobs, the farm workers, and the communities, the transportation companies that take this product to market for us.

Those that work in the field that work hard, like my colleague said. Members, our food doesn't magically appear in supermarkets. There is a long supply chain that starts with the farmer and the farm worker, working the soil to produce the food that we eat every day.

We need to prioritize the importance of our agricultural production. I'm very disappointed that yesterday, in, in labor, we had a bill up that would allow farm workers to be able to attain part of their overtime work hours, because right now our farm workers are losing about $1,200 a month

every single month because of the overtime law that was passed.

We didn't touch the overtime bill, we just asked for a tax credit similar to the film tax credit that was given, but it wasn't essential enough that I feel like my colleagues didn't feel like farm workers were essential enough like film workers, in order to pass that bill to give us an opportunity.

It was co authored by my, Democrat colleague from Bakersfield. And I just think that we need to really seriously I won't be here next year, but you guys really need to seriously look at how we treat our farm workers, and we need to make sure that we protect those who put food on our table,

and we need to protect the fertile valley that we have that produces, like my colleague said, all the food that the rest of the nation eats. Thank you, and I respectfully ask for an Aye vote.

Senator Caballero, you may now close.

I wanna thank my colleague from Bakersfield for standing up for farmers and respectfully ask for your Aye vote today.

Secretary, please call the roll.

[Roll Call]

Aye. 36. No. Zero. The resolution passes.

We're gonna move back to privileges of the floor really quickly to introduce some guests on behalf of Senator Hurtado. In the gallery, we'd like to please welcome the City Of Lindsay officials.

Mayor Missy Villareal, mayor pro tem Joe Soria, and the city manager, Keuler Crocker. We'd like to acknowledge all their contributions and efforts to their community. Welcome.

Thank you for joining us in the state Senate. Back to Senate third reading for our final item. And third reading, that's file item 140. Senator Alvarado-Gil, she is ready to go. Secretary, please read.

Senate resolution 100 by Alvarado-Gil, relative to breaking the silence day of awareness.

Senator. Thank you, Madam President. Today, I rise as the author of SR 100, recognizing April 16, 2026 as breaking the silence day of awareness in California. April is recognized across the nation as child abuse awareness month or prevention month,

and a time when we reaffirm our shared responsibility to protect the children and support families, yet child sexual abuse continues to affect far too many children in ways that often remain hidden from public view.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about one in four girls and one in thirteen boys in The United States experience sexual abuse at some point during their childhood.

Many survivors never report their abuse due to fear, stigma, pressure from abusers, or lack of safe reporting channels. The Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network, or RAIN, estimates that only a fraction of cases are ever reported to authorities.

Tragically, abuse frequently occurs at the hands of individuals known to the child. More than ninety percent of victims know their abuser, according to the US Department of Justice.

Incest and intra familiar abuse carry unique barriers of secrecy and coercion, leading to long lasting impacts on mental health, including increased risk of depression, anxiety, and post traumatic stress.

California stands strong in its response. Now, breaking the silence is also about breaking the cycle. For the past few years, I've been very forthcoming about my experience as a victim of childhood abuse.

And I want to share that however long it takes to break that silence, there is no time clock for the impact of trauma from that abuse.

There's no right or wrong time to report that abuse because it's an individual choice of when you're ready to break that silence.

And the message that I want to share is that we, as this legislature, welcome that opportunity for everyone to tell their story. Again, one in four girls and one in thirteen boys.

I also wanna share the message that what you see on the outside often masks what's in the inside when childhood trauma is present. Now, I blamed my mother for so many years about not protecting me.

I blamed my mother for so many years of causing our family to break and for me to go into foster care.

But I have a message for those mothers because I've soon forgaven her and want to share that regardless of whether you were a victim of abuse, a member of the family, or did everything in your adult power to break the silence and to break the cycle,

that you are forgiven and that you are loved. This is an epidemic in American households, an epidemic where, regardless of tradition, culture, religion, race, ethnicity, class, we are all susceptible to the impact of childhood abuse.

Now, I don't have a relationship with my mother anymore, and I hope that for her wellness and for the wellness of every mother, anti auntie grandma, sister, family member that has endured this impact of childhood abuse,

know that you're forgiven and that you are loved. I want to thank our mandated reporters, our teachers, our medical professionals, and social workers that serve as our first line defense under the Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act

and are protected by legal immunity so that they can act without fear. Law enforcement agencies bring specialized training to investigations of familiar rape, incest, and human trafficking,

while children's advocacy centers provide multidisciplinary trauma informed support and prioritize the children's safety and well-being.

I want to thank, once again, Mrs. Miuka, who God rest her soul, who was that brave eighth grade English teacher who reported my abuse.

And I want to thank the city of Mountain View's police department, those brave men and women who probably carry still the trauma of being able to rescue me from that cycle of abuse.

I want to thank them, even though here we are almost 35, 45 years later, and there's still that impact.

Just this last weekend, I was invited to a memorial of a childhood friend that had passed to breast cancer, and I was asked to bring a photograph of our time together as children.

And it reignited that trauma deep inside, and it only reminded me that even though decades have gone past, those childhood trauma scars that our children, our youth and our adults and our seniors carry still have a little flicker of pain.

Now, I wasn't able to attend that memorial because I still had not been able to process the image that I saw in that photograph.

And that's why it's so important that breaking the silence day impacts everybody in this room, and that we share that despite the real progress that we make as individuals, despite the real progress that we make as communities,

that we must continue to address the complexities of intra familiar crimes and expand mandated reporter training across all sectors. Increasing public understanding, reducing stigma, and encouraging open dialogue are essential to breaking the

silence, supporting survivors, and preventing abuse before it even occurs. Communities and schools and health professionals and public agencies all play a vital role in creating environments where children feel safe and heard.

California's children and families deserve our unwavering commitment to prevention, early intervention, and survivor support.

We must come together as lawmakers and families, educators, providers, and communities to raise awareness and to make it okay, foster informed dialogue, ensure that every child is protected,

even if the child inside of them is now an adult on the outside. No excuses, no halfway measures. The vulnerable population must have the resources, recognition, and safety they need right now and for the long term.

I urge my colleagues to join us in voting Aye on SCR 100 and proclaiming April 16, 2026 as breaking the silence day of awareness here in California,

committing to stronger efforts and infirming the dignity, safety, and healing of every survivor. Thank you.

Senator Choi, you're recognized.

Thank you, Madam and the Members. I rise in strong support of our Senate Resolution 100. We must protect our children.

April is child abuse prevention month, and that this resolution reminds us that child sexual abuse is far more common than many realize and too often remains hidden.

As a former educator and a member of the Irvine Unified School District Board of Education, I have seen many critical how critical this is for adults in our schools and

communities to recognize the signs of abuse and act quickly to protect our children.

Unfortunately, most child abuse cases go unreported often due to fear, stigma, or pressure from abusers. In most cases, the perpetrator is someone the child knows and trusts, making these situations even more difficult to detect and disclose.

This resolution highlights the critical role role of mandated reporters like teachers and health care professionals and of the communities who must be vigilant. SL 100 encourages all Californians to learn the signs of abuse,

support survivors in the faster environments where children feel safe to speak to speak up. This is about protecting the most vulnerable and ensuring ensuring no child suffers in silence. I respectively ask your Aye vote.

Senator Valadares.

Thank you, Madam President. I rise today in support of SCR 100 and also in support of my amazing colleague from Mountain View for her voice and her bravery in bringing forward this resolution.

During this child abuse prevention month, it's vital that we understand the hard facts about who we're talking about with this resolution.

One in four girls, one in thirteen boys, these are not simply statistics. These are children in our communities, in our schools, in our families suffering in silence.

What makes child sexual abuse particularly devastating is that more than ninety percent of cases, the abuser is someone that the child knows and trusts. That betrayal makes it harder to speak up, harder to believe, and harder to heal.

Breaking the silence state of awareness is about changing that. It's about creating a California where every child feels safe even enough to tell their story and where every adult is equipped to listen, to believe, and to act. I am a long time child advocate.

For years, I owned a preschool and fought for kids in the special need community. This issue is very close to my heart. I am proud to support this resolution, and I urge my colleagues to join me in sending a very clear message.

California sees these children. We believe these survivors. And we will never stop fighting for them. I respectfully ask for an Aye vote.

Senator Alvarado-Gil, you may now close.

Thank you. Part of breaking the silence is supporting anonymous opportunities to tell your story and I want to thank RAIN for the 24 hours, hotline that if you know somebody or if you yourself need to break the silence, the National Sexual Assault Hotline,

1(800)656-4673 is available to you. Thank you and I urge an Aye vote.

Secretary, please call the roll. Secretary, please call the roll.

[Roll Call]

Please call the absent Members.

[Roll Call]

Ayes, 36. Noes, 0. The resolution is adopted. We're gonna be lifting the calls on three items, item 64, 65, and 66. Secretary, please open the roll call on 64.

[Roll Call]

Aye, 37. No, 0. The appointment is confirmed. Please hold the roll call for item 65.

[Roll Call]

Ayes. 37. No, 0. The appointment is confirmed.

Please call the absent Members on file item 66.

[Roll Call]

Ayes, 37. No zero. The appointment is confirmed. Moving on to the consent calendars for the second day, we have items one forty nine through one sixty eight. Does any member wish to remove an item from the consent calendar? Seeing none. Secretary, please read all the items.

[Consent Calendar]

Thank you, secretary. Please call the roll on the first item and apply the roll call to the whole consent calendar.

[Roll Call]

Aye. 37. No zero. The consent calendar is adopted. Moving into committee announcements. If you have a budget subcommittee coming up, this is your time to announce it. Senator Richardson.

Thank you, madam president. This immediately following, the adjournment, the budget sub five will be meeting here in the Capitol in Room 113. Today's gonna be labor day.

We're gonna talk about the employment development department, the California workforce development board, and the Department of Industrial Relations. Also, the EDD NEXT modernization project will be reviewed as well. Thank you, Room 113.

Thank you, Senator. Budget subcommittee number three will be meeting in Room 1200 on health and human services. Senator Perez, you're recognized.

Budget sub one on education will be meeting in Room 2110 Minutes after we finish the floor here

. Senator Hurtado, you're recognized.

Good morning. It's sub four will meet in Room 113, fifteen minutes upon adjournment.

Thank you, Senator. Moving Budget subcommittee number five is in Room 112. 112. K? Moving back to motions and resolutions, we have two adjourning memories today.

So if we can cease all conversations on the floor and we can pay our respects and we can seize all conversations on the floor, senators, we are moving into adjourn in memories. Senator Becker, you have the first one.

Thank you, members. Today, I rise to ask that we adjourn a memory of Rob Trice, a good friend, a colleague, a partner in service for fifteen years who died unexpectedly too young at the age of 58. He's survived by his wife Wendy and his family. Think about Rob without getting emotional. His passing was a such a shock to everyone.

He was so full of life, so full of energy, and so deeply, deeply engaged in the work and the people around him. When you think of Rob, you think of a big presence, a big energy, a huge smile, and an even bigger heart. Always coming over with a twinkle in his eye with sort of the latest plan or latest idea to talk about. And that was Rob.

He had a a passion, for the land and a deep love and passion for improving our food systems and above all profound love for his wife and family.

Rob and I were fortunate to build together for many years. I first met him around 2010. He's working in telecom and leading the corporate innovators huddle and not long after, I invited him to join Full Circle Fund, which is an organization I started in 2000. And from the beginning, he brought energy, insight, and a deep commitment to service. Rob quickly became a cornerstone of that community.

He was recognized as member of the year in 2012 and went on to take an increasingly important leadership role. As board chair, he poured his heart and soul into the organization and particularly during the COVID pandemic, worked alongside Eva Camp and the board to sustain and strengthen an organization built on bringing people together to create social change.

Together with Rob's leadership and the dedication of so many, Full Circle has contributed hundreds of thousands of volunteer hours and given tens of millions of dollars to over a 125 organizations in the Bay Area. And that work also helped catalyze in organizations like Imagine h two o and Ed one hundred, which supports PTA communities across California to understand and advocate around California's education policies. Swiftwater Bill Waters, who settled in Humboldt County in 1800s, to generations of family who served, built, and contribute to their communities.

Rob carried forward a legacy of resilience, service, and purpose. I mentioned his passion about food systems. He co founded the mixing bowl and bringing together people initially in Silicon Valley, but then across the world to work on food systems. He was a connector, someone who brought together people, challenged ideas, and pushed everyone to think more deeply. He became an advisor to Cal Poly's College of Ag and UC Davis' Innovation Institute for Food.

Finally, Rob loved his Pescadero community. And during COVID, his his he fulfilled his vision to help local farmers while connecting his Pescadero neighbors and started Offtake. This is his food truck that was reliable every weekend serving local fare, and his wife says the food was amazing and the community response too. And he had a signature item was his popsicles that were called tricycles that he would he would give out from his food truck. Rob was someone who was always fully, joyfully present.

I still Can't quite process. He's gone. Excuse me. The world feels very different without him. But what he built and he gave will continue on.

We miss you, Rob. In the gallery, we have Rob's wife, Wendy Millett, her sister Sarah Millett, Rob's niece, Gretel Hoffman. Excuse me, and Rob's close friends, Ted Ladd, Laura Ladd, Jose Corona, Estella Hopkins. Thank you for allowing me to adjourn his memory.

Senator, please bring Rob's big energy and name for so that he may be properly memorialized. Thank you for sharing his story with us. Senator doctor Weber Pierson, you have the floor.

Thank you, madam president. Senators, I rise today to adjourn in memory of Alwin Ben Holman, a trailblazer, a public servant, and a man whose courage helped reshape opportunities in San Diego and beyond. Born in Alton, Illinois, mister Holman answered the call to serve his country in the United States Navy during World War two before making San Diego his home for more than eighty years. He met and married his lovely wife, Ruby, on 03/27/1948.

Before joining the San Diego fire department, he had a career as a mail carrier.

In 1951, he decided to begin his firefighting career with the San Diego Fire Department at a time when segregation still defined where black firefighters could serve. And black firefighters were only confined to a single station, Station 19. But mister Holman would change that. He became one of the first black firefighters assigned outside of Station 19, integrating Fire Station 14 and breaking a long standing color barrier. That assignment was more than a transfer.

It was a turning point. Despite resistance and discrimination, mister Holman carried himself with dignity, professionalism, and resolve. His presence opened the doors for others and helped transform a segregated system into one that better reflected the values of fairness and opportunity. Over a distinguished thirty two year career, he rose through the ranks from firefighter to captain and ultimately to become San Diego's first black deputy fire chief. But his legacy cannot be measured by rank alone.

Colleagues describe him as a mentor and a trailblazer. Like so many pioneers, he did not just break barriers, he bore the weight of them so that others would not have to. Because of mister Holman, generations of firefighters who followed were able to serve in integrated stations, pursue leadership roles, and envision a future that once seemed out of reach. His life is a reminder that progress is not inevitable.

It is built by individuals willing to step forward and insist on something better even when barriers are put in front of them.

Today, we honor not only his service but his impact on a department, a city, and a legacy of equity in public service. Mister Hohman lived a full life reaching the age of 100 and leaving behind a legacy of courage, dignity, and change. We extend our deepened condolences to his family, his loved ones, and the many firefighters and community members whose lives he touched.

Mister Homan was preceded by his beloved wife of seventy one years, Ruby, in 2020, followed by his son, Alwin Darryl Homan in 2021, and his grandson, Demetrius Homan.

But he is survived by his daughter Kyra Randall, his granddaughter Erica Randall, who provided care for him over the last six years, and several other cherished family members. May we continue to build on the path that he helped forge. And in honor of Alwyn Ben Holman, I respectfully ask that we adjourn in his memory. Thank you.

Senator, please bring the Trailblazer's first responders name forward so that he may be forever memorialized. Madam pro tem, the desk is clear. There's no other business.

Thank you. Members, the next floor session is scheduled for Monday, April 27 at 2PM.

The Senate will be in recess until 03:30pm, at which time the adjournment motion will be made. We will reconvene Monday, 04/27/2026 at 2PM. Monday is denim day. You get to wear jeans to the sesh to the floor, Monday. Have a great weekend.